East West Bowl rosters announced

April 3, 2014, OTTAWA (ISN) – Canadian Interuniversity Sport announced Thursday the rosters for the 12th annual East West Bowl, presented by Under Armour. The all-star showcase is set for Saturday, May 10, 2014 at TD Stadium on the campus of Western University in London, Ont.

Western will host the game for the sixth straight year. The contest was previously held at McMaster (2008), Laval (2007, 2006) and Wilfrid Laurier (2005, 2004, 2003). Kickoff for the 2014 edition is scheduled for 1 p.m.

In addition to the game itself, the week-long event includes daily practices, the Under Armour Combine for participating players (May 6), the Free Agent Combine for players eligible to attend 2014 CFL training camps and not participating in the East West Bowl (May 7), a coaches clinic featuring presentations by CFL coaches and CIS mentors (May 9-10), the annual Friday night banquet (May 9), as well as the inaugural CIS 7-on-7 Passing Tournament (May 10).

Two familiar faces – Laval’s Glen Constantin (East) and Calgary’s Blake Nill (West) – will serve as head coaches for the spring classic. The old foes, whose teams faced off in the Vanier Cup final last fall, rank 1-2 in East West Bowl appearances as bench boss with seven and five, respectively.

“It will be very exciting to once again coach the best prospects from Eastern Canada. Now in its 12th year, the East West Bowl has become a can’t miss event for CFL scouts and it offers our student-athletes a unique opportunity to showcase their talent,” said Constantin, who last November guided his Rouge et Or to a remarkable seventh national title in only 13 seasons at the helm. “I want to thank Western University for taking the lead in organizing this week-long event.”

“This year’s event will once again showcase the incredible talent in the CIS football ranks,” said Nill, a two-time Vanier Cup-winning head coach with Saint Mary’s who has led his Dinos to the Canada West title each of the past six campaigns, a conference record. “Each and every year we are pleasantly surprised by the quality of players who attend and how the event itself has evolved.”

The East West Bowl showcases – for the most part – CIS players who will be eligible for the following year’s CFL draft.

The East side is comprised of student-athletes representing schools from the AUS and RSEQ conferences, as well as Carleton, Ottawa, Queen’s and Toronto. The West contingent is made up of players from Canada West and the remaining OUA universities.

No less than 13 standouts who will take the field on May 10 – six for the East and seven for the West – were named CIS all-Canadians last fall, including offensive linemen Karl Lavoie of Laval and Calgary teammates Sean McEwen and Sukh Chungh, receivers Nic Demski of Manitoba and Addison Richards of Regina, defensive linemen Jesse St. James of Acadia, Brendon Tennant of Laval and Daryl Waud of Western, defensive backs Kwame Adjei of Mount Allison, Kevin Bradfield of Toronto, Tevaughn Campbell of Regina and Mark Ingram of Saskatchewan, as well as linebacker Ron Omara of St. Francis Xavier.

Quarterbacking the East team at TD Stadium will be the trio of McGill’s Dallon Kuprowski, Sherbrooke’s Jérémi Roch and Carleton’s Jesse Mills, while Guelph’s Jazz Lindsey and Manitoba’s Jordan Yantz will be under centre for the West.

The West prevailed 18-17 a year ago to put an end to a three-game winning streak by the East all-stars. The West leads the all-time series 7-4.

EAST WEST BOWL NOTES: A few players might be added to the rosters in the coming weeks… The coaching staffs will also be announced at a later date… Past East West Bowl participants include Hec Crighton Trophy winners Kyle Quinlan of McMaster, Billy Greene of UBC, Brad Sinopoli of Ottawa, Benoit Groulx of Laval, Daryl Stephenson of Windsor, Andy Fantuz of Western, Jesse Lumsden of McMaster and Tommy Denison of Queen’s… Other notables include 2014 Super Bowl champion Jon Ryan (Regina) of the Seattle Seahawks, fellow NFLers Cory Greenwood (Concordia) and Vaughn Martin (Western), both of the Detroit Lions, and Stefan Charles (Regina) of the Buffalo Bills, as well as former Calgary Dino Dan Federkeil, who earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Indianapolis Colts in 2007.